zMotion's Carmen Marston, Lisa Keane and Max Barrios.

The Florida Bicycle Association’s mission is to advocate for a bicycle-friendly Florida. So when FBA was given the opportunity to present the kick-off event for zMotion’s cycling season, it jumped at the chance. zMotion is a Zimmerman Advertising foundation based in Fort Lauderdale.

“zMotion has quickly become a major player in the cycling community, equally for their riding and racing presence as for their role as advocates for bike safety and education,” Laura Hallam, executive director of FBA, said in a statement. “FBA welcomed the opportunity to present this event benefiting our association and was very excited about the awareness it generated for the sport of cycling, specifically as it relates to education and our ‘Share the Road’ program.”

zMotion’s first annual Bike BBQ Beer Beach Bash took place on Oct. 18. More than 600 people rode in the all-day event that kicked off with a 30- or 60-mile ride along State Road A1A.

“We couldn’t have been happier about the turnout for our first ever BBBB Bash, especially given the weather conditions,” Pat Patregnani, founder of Team zMotion, said in a statement. “It was inspiring to see both the cycling community and community-at-large embrace this event. I think it speaks volumes about the growing popularity of cycling and therefore the necessity for education and advocacy about bike safety.”

Net proceeds generated from the Bike BBQ Beer Beach Bash benefit FBA’s Bicycle Law Training Program.

To find out more about zMotion, visit zMotion.org.

Team zMotion

The Zimmerman MS Ride raised “nearly $2 million,” according to Kelly Owens of West Palm Beach-based Shamin Abas Public Relations.

Owens summarized the event for South Florida Adventures:

“Nearly 3,000 riders from all over the world eagerly waited to start the 75-mile journey from Miami to Key Largo. More than 600 volunteers worked from early in the morning before the first rider left the start line to late in the afternoon, long after the last rider had crossed the finish line. Some participated in honor of a family member or loved one; some participated because of a personal goal; some participated to show support for a corporate cycling team; but all participated to help find a cure for MS.

“The 2009 Zimmerman MS Ride took place on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3. This year’s ride raised nearly $2 million in the fight against MS. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The cause of MS is still not known. Understanding what causes MS will be an important step toward finding more effective ways to treat it and—ultimately—cure it, or even prevent it from occurring in the first place.

“Fort Lauderdale-based Zimmerman Advertising took over the title sponsorship of the event four years ago. Zimmerman’s team, zMotion, is now the largest team in the ride with 574 riders participating in 2009. zMotion’s team alone raised more than $300,000 this year and nearly $1.3 million over the last five years.

“‘Multiple sclerosis is a cause we are very passionate about at Zimmerman,” says Pat Patregnani, agency president and co-founder of the zMotion team. “Many members of the Zimmerman family have been personally affected by this disease, so we are thrilled to do anything we can to bring us closer to finding a cure.”

“And you can bet Team zMotion isn’t going to stop here. They have already upped the ante for next year’s ride, pledging to assemble 1,000 riders as part of the ‘1,000 Strong’ campaign for the 2010 Zimmerman MS Ride.”

To find out how you can get involved in the fight against MS, visit NationalMSSociety.org. To learn more about zMotion, visit zMotion.org.